Statement on Al-Aqsa Flood
[Originally posted on Instagram]
There are countless things to say, most of which we will be unable to say in a short instagram post. We could talk about the heinous and intentional misinformation, the Islamaphobia and racism baked into all of this, the ways in which Israel actually strengthens antisemitism in the western world. This is all true. We are navigating this moment at the same time as everyone else. We are experiencing a range of emotions as we continue to receive news from Palestine - anger, grief, frustration, sadness. While we can say that we are all in grief and mourning, we are not all experiencing this grief equally. As American Jews, we are not able to understand the incredible grief Palestinians face as Israel attacks Palestinians and their loved ones are murdered, as they lose fuel and access to water, as Israeli officials call for their genocide. All while the western world refuses to listen. As we navigate the many narratives emerging at this time, we want to ensure our values are crystal clear:
Making Mensches supports Palestinian liberation and their right to resistance.
Many people seek to eliminate criticism of Israel right now by calling for unequivocal support for Israel in the name of Jewish unity. We resist this framing. Those choosing to center the violence Israelis are facing now without contextualizing this moment within a century of violence Israel has enacted upon Palestinians are choosing to ignore, downplay, or minimize Palestinian suffering and trauma. Some are calling for radical empathy. While holding compassion is important, it can quickly be weaponized to victimize Israel and force attention away from genocide. In the world we envision, olam ha’ba, there is empathy abound. However, in order to reach this world, we first need to see liberation through.
It is essential to remember that Judaism and Zionism/Israel are not one and the same: Zionism is an ideology based on settler colonialism and Jewish supremacy. Therefore, people fighting for their lives against occupiers is NOT antisemitic.
Palestinians have an indisputable right to resistance.
Gaza is an open-air prison and anyone suffering in such conditions is within their rights under international law to resist by any means necessary.
There are efforts being made to equate the violence Israelis and Palestinians face and emphasize how “both sides” are equally at fault. Resistance against an oppressor cannot be equated with systematic, military-backed repression and genocidal acts against an entire civilian population for decades. Israel was founded upon and is maintained through normalized violence against Palestinian people. Palestinian children are regularly abducted by the IDF and murdered in the street by settlers while the world watches and does not intervene. As Paulo Freire said, “Never in history has violence been initiated by the oppressed. How could they be the initiators, if they themselves are the result of violence?”
We know that other anti-Zionist Jews are also tired, frustrated, hurt, and grieving. We encourage you to care for yourselves and your communities, our community. We also encourage you to keep going. This Shabbat and always, we hope you continue to find strength in the long tradition of anti-Zionist Jewish dissent and the Jewish value of rebuke. We build upon a legacy of anti-Zionist Jews who sought a more just world and who challenged their communities to continue to do better. Now is the time to stand firmly in your values and challenge your loved ones to stand against genocide, to stand with Palestine.
We have a responsibility to remain in community with one another, even and especially when our values are challenged. We, like all Jews, have a responsibility to create the Jewish future we want to see. We do not back away when we are challenged or disappointed. We engage with those who challenge and disappoint us. We rebuke one another and demand better. We expect to be rebuked when we do damage, too. We will not stand by when people are harmed and we accept the responsibility of doing the hard work. We continue to fight for a just Jewish future, even if we will not see its fruition. As Pirkei Avot teaches us, “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” We will not desist from it. Never again means never again, for any group of people.
Our voices as two American Ashkenazi Jews are far from the most important at this time. The most important thing we can all do as Jewish Americans right now is focus on the ways in which the settler state we live in is currently propping up and enabling Israel’s violence against Palestinians. We MUST demand that our military and financial aid STOP going to Israel, immediately. As Americans, we also have blood on our hands.
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.
